California’s maximum-security prisons are its Level IV facilities, the highest general-population security tier operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Roughly a dozen state prisons house Level IV populations, and a person is assigned there when their classification score reaches 60 or above, a threshold set by Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3375.1 – Incarcerated Person Placement As of mid-2025, California’s total prison population stood at about 90,584, and a meaningful share of those individuals live behind the electrified fences, armed towers, and reinforced cell blocks that define the state’s highest-security environments.2California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Fall 2025 Population Projections
Which California Prisons Operate at Level IV
CDCR spreads its maximum-security capacity across the state rather than concentrating it in one or two mega-facilities. Most institutions house a mix of security levels, with one or more yards designated Level IV.
Northern California
Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, near the Oregon border, opened in 1989 to hold the state’s most serious offenders. Its Facility B remains Level IV general population. Facilities A and D have been converted to Level II open-cell environments, and a minimum-support facility houses Level I residents outside the secure perimeter. The prison’s former Security Housing Unit, Facility C, is now closed.3California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Pelican Bay State Prison
High Desert State Prison in Susanville, Lassen County, converted a yard to Level IV general population in 1997 and later shifted it to a Level IV sensitive-needs designation. A separate yard houses Level III. The whole perimeter is surrounded by a lethal electrified fence.4California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. High Desert State Prison
Sacramento Area
California State Prison, Sacramento, commonly called New Folsom, sits adjacent to the historic Folsom State Prison and is one of the busiest Level IV facilities in the system. Its stated mission is to house maximum and high-security individuals.5California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California State Prison, Sacramento
Central Valley and Southern California
California State Prison, Corcoran is a large multi-mission complex in the Central Valley running Level I, III, and IV yards alongside a Protective Housing Unit, a Correctional Treatment Center, and an Enhanced Program Facility.6California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California State Prison, Corcoran
Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County houses Level I, III, and IV populations along with a Correctional Treatment Center and mental health programming at several levels of care.7California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Salinas Valley State Prison California State Prison, Los Angeles County in Lancaster is designated to house Level IV alongside Level I and III populations.8California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California State Prison, Los Angeles County Kern Valley State Prison in Delano also operates Level IV housing; a June 2025 CDCR directive placed all Level III and Level IV men’s facilities on modified programming in response to a rise in violent incidents.9California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CDCR Facilities Placed on Modified Program
How Someone Ends Up at Level IV
Every person entering CDCR receives a numerical placement score. Classification begins at reception and continues for the entire time someone is in custody.10Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3375 – Classification Process The higher the score, the greater the perceived security risk, and the score dictates the level of facility. A score of 60 or above puts a person at Level IV.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3375.1 – Incarcerated Person Placement
The score is calculated on CDCR Form 839 using background factors and behavioral history. Inputs include age at first arrest, age at reception, sentence length (multiplied by two, capped at 50 points), gang involvement (which adds 6 points), prior sentences of 31 days or more, and prior juvenile or adult incarcerations. The formula also weighs serious rule violations during the most recent 12 months of any prior incarceration.11New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3375.3 – CDCR Classification Score Sheet, CDCR Form 839, Calculation A long sentence, a young age at first arrest, and gang ties can clear the Level IV threshold before in-custody behavior enters the picture.
Scores are not permanent. A counselor performs an annual review to determine whether someone qualifies for a reduction. Consistent programming and a clean disciplinary record can bring the score down over time, eventually making someone eligible for a Level III or lower facility. New disciplinary write-ups push the score up and can result in a transfer to a higher-security prison.12California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Office of the Ombudsman – Entering a Prison FAQs
What the Environment Looks Like
Level IV facilities look and feel fundamentally different from lower tiers. Many perimeters are surrounded by lethal electrified fences designed to deliver a fatal shock on contact. State regulations authorize these fences specifically to prevent escapes, and CDCR has used them since 1992.13Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3270.1 – Lethal Electrified Fences
Armed observation towers sit at intervals around the perimeter. Inside, housing is in reinforced cell blocks rather than dormitories, with individual or double cells behind heavy steel doors and electronic locking systems that let staff open and close doors remotely. Armed officers are a routine presence inside housing units, not just on the perimeter. Movement between areas is tightly controlled and requires authorization.
Restricted Housing Inside a Maximum-Security Prison
Even within Level IV, some individuals need to be separated from the general population. When someone’s presence in general housing creates an immediate safety threat, they are placed in a Restricted Housing Unit (RHU).14Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3335 – Restricted Housing Unit Placement This is the most isolated housing CDCR operates: less movement, more time in-cell, and escort protocols that require multiple officers and physical restraints.
Effective November 1, 2023, CDCR consolidated six older unit types into three. The old Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU) and Security Housing Unit (SHU) designations no longer exist as distinct categories. The current RHUs are organized by mental health status:15California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Restricted Housing – Division of Adult Institutions
- GP RHU, for people not enrolled in mental health services who need restricted housing for safety or disciplinary reasons.
- CCCMS RHU, for people with diagnosed psychiatric conditions who are stable enough not to need intensive outpatient care but still require restricted placement.
- EOP RHU, for people with serious psychiatric disorders who cannot function in general population and need both restricted housing and enhanced clinical support.
The reform also cut maximum RHU terms by 50%, eliminated consecutive terms, replaced subjective factors in term calculations with fixed schedules, and increased out-of-cell time and personal property allowances. The closure of Pelican Bay’s SHU facility is the most visible piece of this shift. Placement can be disciplinary, following a serious rule violation, or non-disciplinary, such as during an active investigation or when someone’s safety is at risk through no fault of their own. Non-disciplinary placements are meant to last only as long as the underlying concern exists.14Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3335 – Restricted Housing Unit Placement
Programming and Access to Services
Life inside Level IV runs on a rigid schedule. Movement is controlled, yard time is limited compared to lower security levels, and every activity requires authorization. California law still requires access to certain services regardless of classification.
All incarcerated individuals have a right to law library access sufficient for meaningful access to the courts. People on Priority Library User status, typically those with active court deadlines, are entitled to at least four hours per week. General Library Users get a minimum of two hours per week. When physical access is restricted during a lockdown or other security event, the library must deliver requested legal materials through a paging system within 16 calendar days.16Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3123 – Access to Law Libraries
CDCR also runs Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs leading to industry-recognized certifications. Available fields vary by institution and depend on the prison’s size, mission, and physical space, and classification committees assign people to programs based on assessed risk, release date, and individual goals.17California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Career and Technical Education Programs Access at Level IV tends to be more limited than at lower-security institutions, partly because moving high-security populations for programming is operationally more complex.
Visitation and Communication
Visiting someone at Level IV starts with a background check. Prospective visitors fill out a questionnaire disclosing every arrest and conviction, even those that never led to charges. CDCR runs its own check through the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System, and any undisclosed contact with law enforcement can result in a denial.18California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. How to Get Approved to Visit an Incarcerated Person If a denial results from inaccurate or incomplete information, the visitor can resubmit a corrected questionnaire.
Once approved, visits are scheduled through the CDCR Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA), the online portal used at every state prison.19California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CDCR Visitation Updates and Information Availability at Level IV can be tighter than elsewhere because of security protocols and lockdown frequency. Modified programming, which happens with some regularity at high-security facilities, can cancel scheduled visits on short notice.
For day-to-day communication, CDCR is transitioning its telecommunications contract from ViaPath to Securus Technologies, with institutional rollouts beginning in February 2026. Under the new contract, phone calls cost $0.016 per minute and electronic messages cost $0.03 each, with 20 free e-messages per month. Incarcerated individuals will turn in their old tablets and receive new Securus devices as each institution transitions, and photos, messages, and purchased media will not transfer.20California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Tablets and Telephones
Mental Health Care at Level IV
Several Level IV institutions operate specialized mental health programming beyond what is available at lower-security prisons. The Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) is the most intensive level of care offered outside an inpatient hospital setting. It is designed for people experiencing significant psychiatric crises, including increased delusional thinking, hallucinations, marked changes in mood, or impaired reality testing that prevents functioning in general population.21California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Understanding the Enhanced Outpatient Program
Qualifying generally requires a core diagnosis such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. People with anxiety disorders, PTSD, severe personality disorders, or those on psychiatric medication without a qualifying core diagnosis may also be eligible if their condition meets the threshold of medical necessity. Corcoran and Salinas Valley are among the Level IV facilities that provide EOP-level care alongside their general-population yards.7California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Salinas Valley State Prison Serious mental illness is disproportionately common among people with high classification scores, and someone cannot simply be transferred to a lower-security mental health unit if their score says otherwise.
Challenging a Placement
Someone who believes their placement score is wrong or that they’ve been improperly assigned to a Level IV facility can challenge the decision through CDCR’s grievance system. As of January 1, 2025, the department updated its administrative remedy procedures. A person files a written grievance, and if dissatisfied with the decision from the institutional or regional Office of Grievances, they can appeal by submitting a CDCR Form 602-2 to the Office of Appeals in Sacramento. The appeal must be filed within 60 calendar days of the decision letter or the date the person discovered the decision, whichever is later.22California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Regulations
Appeals can be submitted by mail or through the electronic kiosk or tablet system where available. Classification scores directly control where someone lives, what programs they can access, and how much freedom of movement they have. Missing the 60-day window closes the administrative path, which can also affect any later attempt to challenge the decision in court.